Papua New Guinean experiences of the Pacific War

When the Second World War came to Papua New Guinea, the violence and upheaval was almost incomprehensible to local people. Many were killed, forced to flee their villages or taken into forced labour. It is estimated that more than 50,000 Papua New Guineans and Solomon Islanders assisted the Allied war effort in the Pacific. These men and women were central to the successes of Australian forces in the Papuan campaign.

Over the course of the war, more than 3500 Papua New Guinean men served in the Papuan and New Guinea Infantry Battalions of the Australian Army (PIB and NGIB). In 1944, these battalions were amalgamated into the Pacific Islands Regiment. Men joined these battalions for different reasons, and with varying degrees of willingness. Some were among the first recruits of 1940, who were largely drawn from the Royal Papuan Constabulary. Others had been pressganged into service with the Japanese forces on Kokoda, and later escaped to join up with Australian troops. Australian forces also undertook recruiting missions in local villages. Officially, orders were not to recruit more than a quarter of the adult male population, but in some areas recruitment was 100% of able bodied men.

Many Australian official war artists who were stationed in Papua New Guinea captured portraits of Papuan and New Guinean Soldiers. 

Here these portraits, and the stories of their sitters, reveal a small snapshot of Papua New Guinean experiences of the war.

Yauwiga

Sergeant Paul Yauwiga from Kusaun, East Sepik, served as a Coastwatcher during the Second World War, aiding Allied operations in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Wounded in 1945 by a phosphorous grenade, he lost his left hand and partial sight. He was awarded the Loyal Service Medal (1943) and Distinguished Conduct Medal (1947). After the war, he founded a school near Wewak and remained a respected community leader, later featured in the 1982 documentary Angels of War. Read more about Paul Yauwiga

William Matpi

Sergeant William Matpi, of Manus Island, was working for a government surveyor when the Japanese invaded Rabaul in 1942. Escaping forced labour, he enlisted with the Papuan Infantry Battalion, serving across New Guinea. Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, one of only three Papua New Guinean soldiers to receive the award, he later campaigned for equal pay and conditions.

Read more about William Matpi

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Ango

Ango was from Donasusu village in the Ioma region of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. He served 10 years with the Royal Papuan Constabulary before enlisting with the Papuan Infantry Battalion in October 1942. Ango was discharged as medically unfit for further service in January 1946 suffering neuritis of the leg.

Tapioli

Tapioli, an Arowe man from Ainbul village in West New Britain, escaped Japanese forced labour in 1942 to enlist with the Papuan Infantry Battalion. He served at Nassau Bay, Tambu Bay, and Salamaua, later transferring to the 2nd New Guinea Infantry Battalion. A strong advocate for equality, he protested discriminatory conditions before continuing his service with the police.

Sanopa

Sergeant Sanopa, of the Papuan Native Constabulary, fought alongside the 39th Battalion during the Kokoda campaign. Stationed at Buna before the war, he led A Company back to Oivi after they were cut off and later fought with them to Ioribaiwa.

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Bagita

Sergeant Major Bagita Aromau, originally from Mapamoiwa village in Milne Bay, joined the Royal Papuan Constabulary in 1916 as a self-described 'fresh youth'. Over three years, Bagita oversaw carriers on the Kokoda Trail during the Second World War. He gave five decades of service before retiring in 1966, receiving the British Empire Medal and multiple service awards. Read more about Bagita Aromau

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Katue

Sergeant Katue, a Kerewo man from Goro village in the Gulf Province, was among the first recruits to the Papuan Infantry Battalion in 1940, after serving with the Royal Papuan Constabulary. Admired in contemporary Australian reports for his strength and bravery, he became the first Papuan PIB soldier awarded the Military Medal. Oral histories recall he possessed spirits that made him invisible to enemies. 

Iwagu

Iwagu Iaking Aladu from Taemi, Morobe, was a teacher before joining the Royal Papuan Constabulary. He was awarded the George Medal in 1944 for rescuing a wounded officer under fire at Scarlet Beach, Finschhafen in September 1943. After the war, he returned to the police force and retired in 1968. Read more about Iwagu

Fred Boski

Fred Boski, a teacher from Lavongai Island, New Ireland, was forced into labour on the Kokoda Trail during the Japanese occupation of Rabaul. Enduring brutal conditions, he escaped to Australian lines in December 1942 and served as a translator with the Papuan Infantry Battalion. After the war, Boski became a senior educator and is remembered as the first registered teacher in Papua New Guinea.  Read more about Fred Boski

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